Bilbao

Today was long, well my choice for it to be long. There was a lot of road side walking so that is not quaint.
The best part of today was talking to the locals. On my way out of Gernika today I started a conversation with a basque man sitting on a bench. Well he was reading his paper and I interrupted that. It transpired that he was 92 and had lived through the bombing. He was more like a 70 year old. I had a really nice conversation with him.
Along the way I bought a banana off a lady who had a table of wares at the end of her driveway. She insisted that I eat a fresh fig for energy. It was lovely and I picked some more further along the way. Another old lady I cornered in her garden, offered to cook some of the "calabasa" for me if I came back in 12 days days when she harvested it. Then on my way into Bilbao, at the end of my walk, with the legs crying for mercy, another old man said "hey you, are you with him?" motioning to a walker ahead of me. No, says I, I am walking Sola. " Better off" he said!
So while the walk was lovely for stages, the chats with the older folks was the best.
Other things I have noted:
Lots of dogs, chained to the house appear Savage. I say "hello doggie" and they growl and or lurch, barking viciously.
Lots and lots of feral cats.
Wild mint along the roads.
Calabasas grow profusely, even up trees. (it is a squash type plant)
The reason only a few of us walkers were the only ones on the beach a few stops ago, was because there was jellyfish in the water. I thought it felt like something stinging, but I saw nothing. I have big welts on, where else but, my feet and ankles. Not a bother when I walk, thank goodness.
Thee is supposed to be a strike in the Spanish airports on the day I fly back to Dublin. That should be memorable.
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